A Guide to Best Practice in Criminal Appeals

Introduction

As busy criminal practitioners, it’s difficult to keep up to speed with the latest developments from the Court of Appeal.

This interactive live session will provide a clear summary of the main developments from the Court of Appeal in 2025 to date.

The session is designed to assist practitioners who defend or prosecute and would be of interest to barristers, solicitors, trainees, legal executives and paralegals who practice in criminal law. In addition, the session will cover best practice in Criminal Appeals preparation - inclusive of topics of fresh evidence, McCook correspondence and extensions of time.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive course will cover the following:

• Preparation of appeals
• Fresh Evidence - s.23 Criminal Appeal Act 1968
• Admission of Fresh evidence (R v Wishart [2025]; R v Zhang [2025]; R v Ogonowska [2025])
• McCook correspondence
• Loss of time and costs orders - R v Mirza [2025]
• Extensions of time - R v APZ [2025]; R v Andrew Harris [2025]
• De-constructing definitions 2025:
• Consideration of ‘consent’ as a defence to ABH - R v Hobday [2025]
• Construction of s.75A Serious Crime Act 2015 - strangulation or suffocation - R v Anthony Jones [2025]
• Construction of s.5 Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 - causing or allowing a vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm - R v Sheikh and others [2025]
• Modern Slavery appeals
• R v BGV [2025]. Impact of factual inconsistencies - R v BNA [2025]; R v BKM [2025]; R v BZP [2025]
• Sentencing Appeals
• R v Wheeler [2025] - impact of autism spectrum disorder, maturity and dangerousness
• Impact of immaturity - R v Nah’shun Thomas [2025]
• R v Gustavson and others [2025] - ‘body modifications’
• Sentencing in relation to non-violent protest cases - R v Hallam and others [2025]
• Inciting racial hatred - R v Connolly [2025]

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.